Faucet attachments



May 21, 1957 E. P. AGHNIDES FAUCET ATTACHMENTS Filed Feb. 18, 1953 V q 4 1 A L v A k v. 1) ..l a

30 9 2 2 .l I) J T w M 7 B a m WASHER MAKING PRESS FIT WITH CASING FOH HOLDING SCREENS IN PLACE.

INVENTOR ELIE P. AGHNIDES ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,793,016 FAUCET ATTACHMENTS Elie P. Aghnides, New York, N. Y. Application February 18, 1953, Serial No. 337,504 2 Claims. (Cl. 261-76) This invention relates to faucet attachments which modify the nature of the stream of water emanating from the faucet.

The household faucet had until recent years been usually used without any attachments and it therefore produced a solid stream of water in the well known way. Very long ago it was discovered that for some purposes, such as washing vegetables, it was desirable to have .a spray instead of a solid stream. While the spray had marked advantages it was never widely used (except in showers) for the primary reason that it had very serious disadvantages under certain circumstances. It was also discovered very long ago that splashing of the solid stream could be reduced if a fine mesh screen was used at the outlet end'of the faucet. Under certain circumstances this non-splash non-aerated stream was desirable but its disadvantages under other circumstances discouraged widespread use thereof. In recent years, I pioneered a new for-m of faucet attachment as set forth in my United States Patents No. 2,210,846, entitled Fluid Mixing Device, granted August 6, 1940, and No. 2,316,832, entitled Fluid Mixing Device, granted April 20, 1943. The devices of these patents have found much wider use on faucets in sinks than either the simple non-splash screen or the spray. The housewife, therefore, has found that while the simple non-splash screen and the spray have utility in a few circumstances, their utility is too limited. On the other hand the aerated streams of said prior patents are desirable additions under most circumstances. However, it is recognized that under some circumstances the spray is the most desirable of all availi able streams, while under other circumstances the nonaerated non-splash stream is preferred. One object of this invention is to provide a faucet attachment that the housewife can readily convert into any one of the following (1) a spray producing device, (2) a device producing a non-splash non-aerated stream, or (3) an aerator pro ducing a white coherent bubbly aerated stream as described in my said prior patents.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a water aerator with separable parts that may be used in different ways to produce different results.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for water faucets which by slight alteration may be arranged to produce either a spray or the well known aerated stream.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for water faucets having parts that may be used to produce at will either an aerated stream or the long known non-aerated non-splash stream.

it is yet another object of the invention to provide an attachment for water faucets that may be readily assembled in any of several ways to produce any of several types of output streams.

Another object of the invention is to provide an aerator that may be readily assembled and disassembled, both at the factory and by the housewife.

A further object of the invention is to provide an 2,793,016 Patented May 21, 1957 aerator that is more foolproof in that it would be difficult for a housewife to assemble it other than in the intended manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide an aerator capable of being readily disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled by the housewife.

A further object of the invention is to provide an aerator in which means are employed to insure positive and accurate spacing of the several component parts.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a faucet attachment which is less likely to chip or damage dishes which accidentally strike it.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of an aerator structure that obviates the use of washers.

In carrying out the foregoing objects I provide an attachment for faucets in two pieces. Both are so threaded (or otherwise adapted) as to fit on the end of the faucet so either may be used separately and the second of the pieces is threaded to fit onto the downstream end of the first piece. The first piece carries a diaphragm for producing a spray. The second piece comprises a non-splash screen. Hence, when the first piece is used alone a spray is produced. When the second part is used alone the well known non-splash non-aerated stream results. When both pieces are used together the device produces the white coherent aerated stream of my aforesaid prior patents.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application S. N. 63,110, filed December 2, 1948, entitled Gas and Liquid Mixing Device, now U. S. Patent No. 2,633,343, granted March 31, 1953, and a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application S. N. 135,645, filed December 29, 1949, entitled Fluid Mixing Device.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross-section of one form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-section of another form of the invention with a cup carrying the lower screen removed.

Figure 3 is a cross-section of still another form of theinvention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-section of a modified form of the device.

In Figure 1 a conventional faucet 10 has outer threads 11 onto which a cylindrical element 12 having threads complementary to threads 11 may be mounted. Element 12 has an inner ledge 13 which clamps perforated disc 14 and a sealing washer 15 against the lower edge of faucet 10. A cap 17 having internal threads adapted to fit onto either the threads 11 or those 16, clamps screens 18 (which are separated by a washer 19) against the lower edge of element 12.

The component parts of Figure 1 may be assembled in three different ways to produce three different streams. If the parts are assembled as shown it will produce an aerated stream as described in my U. S. Patent 2,210,846, dated August 6, 1940. If instead of producing an aerated stream it is desired to produce a spray, it is merely necessary to remove the lower cap 1.7 which of course removes the screens 18 and washer 19, allowing the other parts to remain as shown. if it is desired to produce a simple non-aerated non-splash stream, element 12 is removed together with disc 14, and the cap 17 (together with screens 18 and washer 19) is mounted onto the threads 11 of faucet 10. Element 12 has slots 12a to provide air inlets when the device acts as an aerator.

Figure 2 is a modified form of Figure 1 and is particularly, although not exclusively adapted to internally threaded faucets. The faucet 20 has internal threads 21 a into which element 22 may be inserted. A perforated disc 23 is formed integral with element 22. A second perforated disc 24 is attached to element 22 by a press fit. When the device is used without cap 17 its output is a spray but if cap 17 holding Screens 18 is added the outlet stream will be the well known aerated one de scribed in my said prior patent.

In Figure 3 a device is shown capable of being assembled in three different ways. A faucet 30 has external threads 31 on to which element 32 may be attached. Integral with element 32 is a perforated disc 33. A second perforated disc 34 may be permanently attached to element 32 if desired, or it may be held in place wholly by the clamping force between element 32 and faucet 30, or it may be omitted altogether. A lower cap 35 has air inlet openings 36 through which a flow of air into the device is induced, and also carries three screens 37 which rest on the lower inside part of cap 35. In order to preserve proper aeration spacing between perforated disc 33 and the upper screen, the disc 33 has an indent 38 against which the upper screen bears when in its proper place. The bottom 33 of cup-shaped member 32, the upper screen 37 and the body of lower cap In these figures the lowermost part may also be composed of polyethylene to reduce chipping of dishes that accidentally strike the lowermost part.

. In Figure 5, the faucet 50 has internal threads into member 51. A lower member 54 carrying screens 55 may be threaded into the lower end of member 51. This produces an aerated stream. If a spray output is desired member 54 may be removed leaving member 51 in place as shown. If a non-splash non-aerated stream is desired member 51 may be removed, and member 54 (together with screens 55) threaded directly into the faucet.

carrying out the present invention.

I am not limited to the hereinabove described details since the claims measure the invention.

I claim:

1. An aerator comprising a cup-shaped device having shaped device having holes in its bottom to form a spray,

rigid projection extending downstream thereof, said cup-shaped device having external threads of the same diameter and pitch as the threads onto which said internal threads are designed to fit, a cylindrical member having internal threads of the same diameter and pitch as the first-named internal threads so that the cylindrical member may be placed on either the faucet or on said cup-shaped device, said cylindrical member having a ledge therein, and screen means resting her, said ledge so positioning the cylindrical member is partially screwed onto the cupshaped device the screen means will be positioned against said rigid projection so as to accurately space the screen means from said bottom, the aerator providing an air inlet for feeding air into the mixing region adjacent the screen means.

2. An aerator comprising a shallow receptacle having first threads for connecting it to a faucet, said receptacle having spray forming perforations therein, said receptacle having a second set of threads of the same pitch and diameter as said first threads are designed to fit, a cylindrical member having threads of the same diameter and pitch as said first threads and so positioned that said cylindrical member may be attached to a faucet or on said receptacle, said cylindrical member having a support means and screen means supported by said support means and presenting such resistance to the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 90,015 North et a1. May 11, 1869 168,825 Batchelor et a1. Oct. 19, 1875 619,944 Ellis Feb. 21, 1899 1,343,967 Gilson June 22, 1920 2,187,779 Gardner Jan. 23, 1940 2,216,646 Mautz Oct. 1, 1940 2,316,832 Aghnides Apr. 20, 1943 2,321,220 Lieberman June 8, 1943 2,389,185 Dick Nov. 20, 1945 2,510,395 Goodrie June 6, 1.950 2,541,854 Bachli et al. Feb. 13, 1951 2,575,222 Isenberg Nov. 3, 1951 2,591,056 Ericson Apr. 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 625,084 June 22, 1949 Great Britain 

